autumnal

adjective

au·​tum·​nal ȯ-ˈtəm-nəl 

: of, relating to, or characteristic of autumn

autumnal weather

autumnal colors

the autumnal equinox

I am often surprised to see rising amid these trees the rounded tops of apple-trees glowing with red or yellow fruit, in harmony with the autumnal tints of the forest.

—Henry David Thoreau

autumnally

ȯ-ˈtəm-nə-lē 

adverb

These days on the verge of winter were autumnally fair, struck through with warmth until the swift lengthening of the shadows.

—John Updike

Examples of autumnal in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

In between the summer and winter solstices are the vernal and autumnal equinoxes, which mark the start of spring and fall. —Cody Cottier, Discover Magazine, 13 June 2025

Fruity, chocolatey, autumnal, nutty—your options abound. —Sara Coughlin, SELF, 6 June 2025

The former work is dishwasher-sized and features a blue sky above an autumnal landscape populated by George Washington, school children, and some deer. —Literary Hub, 4 June 2025

His high standards for the insides of the sandwich are a fair part of Angelo’s magic, but the real miracle is his bread: graceful torpedoes of flour and yeast and dough, the crust baked to a crisp, autumnal golden-brown and dusted with sesame seeds, the interior both soft and dense, sour and salty. —Helen Rosner, New Yorker, 20 Apr. 2025

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Latin autumnālis, from autumnus autumn + -ālis -al entry 1

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above